YO-YO DIETING—
THE VICIOUS CYCLE
by Elizabeth Sims
How many diets have you tried? The
first diet I tried was called the "Grapefruit
Diet.” I ate grapefruit for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. It was great, I lost seven
pounds and never wanted to see another
grapefruit again Two weeks later I had
gained ten pounds, Egads!!! Next. I tried
the "Vegetable Diet." This diet was won
derful! This time I lost ten pounds and
didn't have to eat a single grapefruit.
There were only three weeks left until
spring so I got out my "skinny bikini," only
to discover I had gained all my weight
back and then some. If you're like me. you
have probably been on every diet in the
world. There isn't one diet you haven't
tried. By this time, I had lost 100 pounds,
but I had also gained over 150 pounds and
I had been on every diet, and tried every
diet trick in the book. My weight goes up
and down like a roller coaster or yo yo.
Rapid weight loss which is followed by
quick weight regain is known as the "Yo
yo Syndrome." These recurring weight
fluctuations are discouraging, as well as
having a negative and lasting effect on the
body. It alters the body's system and its’
ability to function and it is not as efficient
at burning calories. Many dieters concen
trate on losing weight quickly instead of
concentration on the type of pounds they
lose Weight loss can be in the form of fat
loss, water loss or in the form of lean-body
mass Dieters on a low-calorie diet (less
than 800 calories) per day may accelerate
the loss of muscle by increasing the loss
of body cell mass and fat loss. The loss of
lean body mass occurs as soon as the diet
is started and the dieter losses body cells
with the down phase on the yo-yo syn
drome. The body's ability to repair loss of
lean body mass decreases with age
The goal of a diet is to find a balance be
tween body fat and lean body mass. Con
stant dieting or yo-yo dieting throws this
off balance. Quick weight loss sends the
metabolism into a "starvation response.”
The metabolism slows down in an effort to
conserve energy. Constant yo-yo dieting
may train the body's enzyme system how
to metabolize the available calories more
efficiently. Therefore, reducing the rate of
thermogenesis. This is the amount of body
heat produced by food metabolism, as
well as. the rate of fat burned by the body.
The metabolism slows down in order to
conserve the reduced amount of calories.
The dieter's efforts are defeated and
he/she is unhealthy.
You can beat the system, but strict and
extreme low-calorie diets are not the an
swer. Dieters on rapid weight loss diets al
most always gain the weight back and
then a few extra pounds. Chronic dieters
usually end up having a higher percentage
of fat from losing and regaining weight.
Weight is most likely gained back as fat,
however weight that is lost is probably not
in the form of fat. Weight loss can occur
without loss of lean body mass and with
out regaining the pounds, exercise is one
of the keys. Exercising helps prevent loss
of lean body mass. It is also suggested
that a dieter cut his/her calories slightly in
stead of drastically. Don’t be caught in the
vicious cycle of quick weight loss diets. If
you find yourself in this trap or would like
more information, stop by the Health Edu
cation office located in the Health Center.
“SWEET CONTROVERSY . . .Aspartame
It all began about tour years ago
prudent dieters and low sugar enthusi
asts ripped open little blue packages
ol "Equal," an artificial sweetener, to
llnd a sweet surprise Unlike saccha
rine. "Equal." (alias Nutra-Sweet and
chemically know as aspartame) is an
intensely sweet compound—two hun
dred times sweeter than su
crose/common table sugar—and with
out the bitter edge other dietetic
sweeteners are notorious tor Aspar
tame caught on fast and today, with
only trace calories, aspartame sweet
ens diet sodas, puddings, powdered
fruit drinks, gelatin desserts, sugar
less gum and even some pastries Is
aspartame the dieter's miracle then?
Is it sate? The answer is yes. no, may
be—we don't know
Aspartame was discovered entirely
by mistake in the late 1960s when a
chemist for Searle laboratories was
exploring protein fragments in search
of a combination helpful in treating ul
cers Phenylaline and aspartic acid,
two amino acids, were chemically
bound by a single carbon in what is
known as an ester bond One of these
ammo acids is bitter tasting and the
other is flavorless—but together, the
combination formed a very sweet pow
der Medically useless. Searle began
exploring the possibility of a lucrative
sugar substitute
Seeking FDA approval of aspartame
Iirst entailed exploring what happens
upon ingestion Studies indicated that
when aspartame is eaten, digestive en
zymes merely break apart the amino
acids, like any protein food, and digest
them. Searte tiled lor FOA approval of
aspartame, and the studies (seeming
too good to be true) were charged with
taisilication Aspartame went back to
the lab lor more tests Prool had to be
demonstrated that aspartame, in the
course of a normal diet did not cause
tumors, hormonal imbalances or cen
tral nervous system damage By 1980.
six years after the initial appeal to the
FOA. aspartame was deemed "gener
ally recognized as safe."
So why all the fuss? Several uncer
tainties surround aspartame Over
time, aspartame breaks down and
loses its sweetness. This means it has
a relatively short shelf life Aspartame
also costs 25 times as much as sac
charine Given this, industry often
combines the two sweeteners in die
tetic products aspartame sweetens
the product and saccharine provides a
longer shell life Saccharine, however,
has demonstrated a shady history as a
potential carcinogen but remains on
the market by consumer demand
Products sweetened with aspartame,
then, also contain a dose of saccha
rine and after 2 or 3 diet sodas a day
tor several weeks, months and years
(alas, the 7-11 Big Gulp) the dose be
gins to accumulate. While this may
not alarm one at present, what effects
will we see when our generation ap
proaches its 50s, 60s and 70s?
Some aspartame veterans have
charged the sweetener with causing
seizures, insomnia, dizziness, men
strual problems and nervous disor
ders Some of these symptoms have
appeared in children whose small bod
ies receive a larger dose per pound
body weight after a diet pop or fruit
drink is ingested. Skeptics of aspar
tame claim the simple dipeptide (dou
ble amino acid) breaks down rapidly
and causes an influx of phenylalanine
and aspartic acid into circulation. This
In turn may alter brain chemistry
enough to create the adverse effects
some complain of. Studies of this phe
nomenon, however, have been incon
clusive.
Perhaps aspartame is safe—but per
haps it Isn't safe. Sometimes years of
use of a product provide a population
based study .we could all be walk
ing. talking guinea pigsl! Moderate to
minimal use of aspartame is probably
a wise idea then. At one time ciga
rettes were thought to be sale until 20
+ years of use saw startling increases
in lung cancer. Agent Orange was also
a sale" herbicide until years later un
usual cancers developed in those ex
posed
So much for scare tactics—they
really aren't effective anyway. What
should one do given all this informa
tion on aspartame? Probably cut down
consumption of It as much as possi
ble. There are alternatives—especially
for the number one source: diet soda.
Try mineral water In various flavors.
Brands of mineral water available in
Eugene include: Crystal Geyser,
A'Sante, Mendocino, Calistoga, Perrier
and Talking Rain. Ice Tea. herbal teas,
fruit juices, and nectars (all natural)
are other alternatives.
As for aspartame sweetened
"sweets," sugar contains 18 calories
per teaspoon This isn't so much a
salespitch for sugar as it is for moder
ation. Does aspartame really save
calories? Probably—but the number is
almost insignificant. Usually aspar
tame saved calories are compensated
tor elsewhere in the diet Selecting
sugar rather than aspartame is a wise
idea—as long as the quantity Is mod
erated and the person isn't diabetic.
As for aspartame, that last thought is
probably its only confirmed benefit.
Aspartame is a wonderful discovery
for diabetics who have had to reduce
sweets in their diets to better control
their blood sugar concentration As for
non-diabetics —why risk the unknown
with unbridled use of aspartame?